Clerk to Governors (Governance Professional): Role, Duties and Appointment
A clerk to governors, also called a governance professional, gives the board independent governance advice and administrative support. Maintained-school governing bodies must appoint a clerk under the 2013 regulations. Academy trusts must appoint a governance professional under the Academy Trust Handbook. The role supports lawful decisions, accurate records and effective meetings; it does not replace governors’ accountability.
What the clerk does
This guide concerns school governance in England. The maintained schools governance guide, sections 4.8–4.8.1, describes independent advice, effective administrative support, understanding legal duties and helping the chair facilitate strategic debate. A good clerk contributes before, during and after the meeting, rather than appearing only to take notes.
For maintained schools, regulation 11 requires the clerk to attend governing-body meetings and ensure minutes are produced, maintain a register of governors and associate members, report vacancies and perform other tasks determined by the governing body. Convening meetings is addressed in regulation 13. The DfE guide describes independent advice; regulation 6 requires the governing body to have regard to the clerk’s advice.
The practical distinction is between managing the process and making the decision. The clerk can identify the relevant rule, check that a proposal is within the board’s powers and record the conclusion. Governors remain responsible for weighing the evidence and exercising their authority. The clerk is neither an additional voting governor nor a substitute headteacher.
Agree the scope of support in advance. An annual work plan can identify full-board and committee meetings, membership administration, policy decisions, information publication and training support. Different boards need different amounts of support; a clear agreement helps prevent important tasks being assumed by everyone and owned by nobody.
Appointment and removal in maintained schools
Regulation 6(3) requires appointment of a clerk; regulation 10 sets the eligibility and removal arrangements. Subsection (1) preserves contractual rights and liabilities. Subsection (4) permits the governing body to remove the clerk. Regulation 10(2) says the clerk must not be a governor or the headteacher of the school. Do not expand that prohibition into a rule excluding every school employee: that is not what this regulation says.
Regulation 10(3) permits the governing body, if the clerk fails to attend a meeting, to appoint one of its number, other than the headteacher, to act as clerk for that meeting. The exception is for that meeting; it does not allow a governor to be appointed as the continuing clerk. Record the temporary arrangement and ensure the meeting still follows the applicable procedures. Where the school has no delegated budget, regulation 10(5) allows the local authority to remove the clerk and appoint a substitute after consulting the governing body.
The DfE guide, section 4.8, describes direct employment, contracting with a governance professional and buying local-authority governor services as ways to obtain support. The appointment power and any employment or service-contract process are related but separate matters. Obtain appropriate advice on the contract when changing provision; regulation 10 alone does not describe an employment dismissal procedure.
Make the board’s decision clear in its records, identify who will manage the relationship and establish how independent advice will reach the board. Plan continuity and cover before a scheduled meeting is at risk. For sensitive hearings, check the specific procedural and confidentiality arrangements rather than treating the ordinary meeting plan as sufficient.
Responsibilities and evidence table
This table combines the maintained-school regulations with the DfE guides and practical board arrangements. It distinguishes an express regulatory function from work the board may allocate to its governance professional.
| Area | Clerk’s contribution | Basis or boundary | Useful record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agendas and papers | Convene meetings and coordinate circulation with the chair and leaders. | Regulations 11 and 13; chair agrees priorities with support. | Agenda, notice, papers and circulation record. |
| Minutes | Attend and ensure an accurate record of decisions and proceedings. | Regulation 11; regulation 15 covers signing and inspection of records. | Approved minutes, attendance and action log. |
| Notice periods | Check statutory notice and document circulation before the meeting. | Regulation 13 for maintained governing bodies; use trust articles for academies. | Dated notice and record of any permitted urgent treatment. |
| Quorum and procedure | Advise the chair on quorum, voting, declarations and the board’s powers. | DfE advice role and regulation 6; regulations 14 and 16 govern relevant procedures. | Attendance, withdrawals and decision record. |
| Interests | Help collect declarations and maintain the register under agreed arrangements. | DfE maintained guide sections 2.4 and 5.7; academy handbook paragraphs 1.51–1.55. | Current register and meeting declarations. |
| Membership and terms | Keep membership records and report vacancies; track appointment information. | Express regulation 11 function in maintained schools. | Membership register, appointment and term records. |
| Website governance information | Coordinate checks with the responsible website owner. | Maintained guide section 5.7.2 and trust handbook paragraph 1.55; board retains responsibility. | Publication check and corrections assigned. |
| Statutory advice | Identify the applicable source, decision route and unresolved questions. | Regulation 6 and current DfE guides; commission specialist advice where needed. | Advice reference, decision and follow-up. |
The regulation 13 notice period
For maintained governing bodies, regulation 13 requires the clerk to give each governor, the headteacher and any associate member written notice, the agenda and papers at least seven clear days before a meeting. Notice also goes to the local authority where a change of school category is on the agenda. The regulation permits a shorter period where the chair considers the matters demand urgent consideration. That exception does not apply to the specified matters of removing the chair or vice-chair, suspending a governor, or deciding to serve notice of discontinuance of the school.
Check the complete regulation when applying the exception. “Clear days” should not be casually replaced with “one week” in the board’s working instructions. Keep a dated record of circulation, raise late-paper problems with the chair and identify which items can properly proceed. Good planning reduces reliance on urgency and gives governors time to read evidence.
Academies and multi-academy trusts
The Academy Trust Handbook 2026, effective from 1 October 2026, paragraph 1.48, requires a governance professional supporting the trustees who is not a trustee, principal or chief executive. These are academy requirements; the maintained-school regulations should not be applied to a trust as though it were a maintained governing body.
The academy trust governance guide, sections 4.5–4.5.1, describes governance support, independent advice, strategic debate and information flow. It says governance professionals receive direction from and are accountable to the board, normally through the chair. It also describes support for further training and development.
Read the trust’s adopted articles, scheme of delegation and committee terms alongside those sources. They identify how meetings are called, what decisions are reserved and what local committees can do. A seven-clear-day rule from regulation 13 is not automatically the meeting rule for every academy trust. Use the actual governing document and obtain advice if there is uncertainty.
In a MAT, arrange a clear route for local information to reach trustees and for trustee decisions to reach local committees. A local clerk needs to understand the limits of delegated authority. Consistent templates can help, but the record should still show which body met, what authority it used and who owns follow-up.
Working with the chair
The chair of governors role guide explains the chair’s leadership and meeting responsibilities. The current DfE maintained guide, section 4.5, describes agenda setting with support from the executive leader and governance professional. The clerk helps make that agenda workable and procedurally sound.
A short planning conversation can distinguish items for information, discussion and decision. Ask what evidence each decision needs, who can answer questions and whether a conflict or confidential item requires special treatment. The chair leads discussion; the clerk should be able to raise a procedural concern without having to compete for permission to do so.
After the meeting, agree how draft minutes and actions will be checked. Preserve the decision made rather than rewriting the record to fit a later preference. The school board pack template can help organise papers and decision prompts. It supports preparation; it does not confer authority or make an otherwise invalid process valid.
Clerking quality and development
The former DfE collection marks the 2017 Clerking Competency Framework and Governance Handbook as withdrawn. DfE withdrew them on 7 March 2024. They should not be described as current DfE guidance. Use the current governance guides and check the source and date of training material before relying on it.
The maintained guide, section 4.8, recommends understanding the support needed, setting service standards and evaluating performance. The academy guide, section 4.5.1, describes board support for training and development. Neither should be converted into a universal requirement for one named qualification or provider. Choose recognised governance training suited to the school type and responsibilities, without assuming that attendance alone proves competence.
Review practical quality: timely papers, reliable advice, accurate minutes, complete membership records and visible follow-up. Give the clerk access to the governing documents and the information needed to advise. Discuss development needs and cover arrangements alongside workload. Independence is more useful when the board listens to advice and acts on identified concerns.
A termly clerk’s checklist
The following is an Edvance planning schedule, not a statutory set of term-specific deadlines. Add the board’s own required dates and academy or maintained-school procedures.
Autumn
- Confirm membership, terms, vacancies, appointment records and declarations.
- Agree the meeting calendar, committee arrangements and annual work plan.
- Check induction, governance training needs and access to current guidance.
- Review publication information and assign corrections to the website owner.
Spring
- Review action completion and whether minutes show decisions and follow-up.
- Check forthcoming policy decisions, delegated authority and paper deadlines.
- Revisit vacancies or expiring terms and alert the relevant appointing body.
- Review the support agreement and identify any training or cover gaps.
Summer
- Check how the board has evaluated its work and recorded development actions.
- Prepare next year’s dates and identify decisions that cannot wait until autumn.
- Confirm retention, access and handover arrangements for governance records.
- Plan continuity with the chair and leaders so knowledge survives a change of personnel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a clerk to governors do?
The clerk supports meetings, records membership and vacancies, ensures minutes are produced and performs other tasks agreed by the board. Current DfE guidance also describes independent governance advice, administrative support and help with lawful decision-making.
Is a clerk to governors a legal requirement?
Maintained governing bodies must appoint a clerk under regulation 6(3) of the 2013 regulations. Academy trusts must appoint a governance professional under paragraph 1.48 of the Academy Trust Handbook 2026; their own articles and delegation arrangements also apply.
Can a governor be the clerk?
Regulation 10(2) prohibits a governor or the headteacher from being the appointed clerk. Under regulation 10(3), if the clerk fails to attend, the governing body may appoint one of its number, other than the headteacher, to act as clerk for that meeting.
What is the difference between a clerk and a governance professional?
The current DfE guides use governance professional for the role also known as clerk. The terminology reflects independent advice and governance support as well as meeting administration; it does not give the role governors’ decision-making authority.
Does a clerk to governors need training?
The current DfE guides support development suited to the role and board’s needs. The academy guide describes board support for further training. These sources do not impose one universal clerking qualification or endorse a single training provider.